Hearing Care for a Better Life

Tinnitus may emerge from dysfunction at various points in the auditory system or related bodily systems:

• Auditory deprivation (e.g., noise-induced hearing loss or age-related hearing loss) often leads to alterations in central auditory neural circuits. These changes—like increased neuronal firing rate, enhanced synchrony, and cortical reorganization—may underlie tinnitus perception. 

• Ototoxic medications (e.g., high-dose aspirin, NSAIDs, certain antibiotics, chemotherapy agents) can induce or exacerbate tinnitus. Often reversible, but sometimes persistent. 

• Somatosensory factors such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders or neck injuries can modulate or cause tinnitus through neural cross-talk in the dorsal cochlear nucleus. 

• Medical and neurological conditions including vascular issues, Meniere's disease, migraines, head trauma, tumors, and metabolic disorders have also been associated with tinnitus. 

Diagnosis begins with a clinical history and evaluation of hearing function (e.g., audiogram).      Objective tinnitus may warrant investigation for aneurysms, TMJ dysfunction, or muscle spasms. Multidisciplinary evaluation may be required. 

Have you ever been told there was nothing  you could do for the ringing in your ears? Have you been told you just need to learn to live with it? Midcoast Hearing is here to tell you... you have options to manage and treat your tinnitus.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Among the most evidence-supported treatments to reduce tinnitus distress. 

• Sound therapy & Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT): Sound-based interventions, including masking and TRT.

• Hearing aids, counseling, brain stimulation: Used based on underlying causes and patient needs

Psychological impact: Chronic tinnitus is frequently linked with anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction, especially impairments in attention. Meta-analysis corroborates that severity of tinnitus correlates strongly with negative emotional and cognitive outcomes. 

Youth and adolescents: Among young adults (18–30), prevalence of bothersome chronic tinnitus ranges from ~5% to 8%. Many don’t report it as problematic, though it may signal elevated risk for anxiety, depression, and sleep issues later in life. Recreational noise exposure is a common trigger. 

Adolescents in South Korea: National survey found 46% reported any tinnitus; 9.1% reported severe forms. Associated factors included ear infections, noise exposure (e.g., karaoke, gaming), alcohol, and smoking. There are ties to fatigue, memory issues, and hearing localization difficulties to tinnitus.

A 2022 systematic review found that globally, about 14.4% of adults experience any tinnitus, while 2.3% suffer from severe forms. Chronic tinnitus affects approximately 9.8% of adults. Incidence is estimated at roughly 1% annually. Prevalence increases markedly with age rising from 9.7% in ages 18–44 to 23.6% for those 65 and older. 

A large-scale European survey (2017–2018) reported a 14.7% prevalence of any tinnitus (ranging from 8.7% to 28.3% across countries), with 1.2% reporting severe symptoms. Older age and hearing loss were key associated factors. 

In the United States, approximately 50 million adults have experienced tinnitus, with 16 million reporting frequent symptoms. Prevalence is higher among older adults, non-Hispanic whites, former smokers, individuals with hypertension, noise exposure, hearing impairment, or generalized anxiety disorder.